Determinación del sexo según el diámetro de la cabeza del radio

Abstract

One of the principal problems which is found in anthropological science to identify an individual from his bones remains, is that in a majority of cases, we do not have the whole skeleton upon which to make the study, but on disperse remains, fragmented bones and generally in a bad state of preservation.

One of the factors to determine in the study of bones remains is the individual's sex. This determination does not pose any problem if the individual's skeleton is available, or even if not complete, we have bones which, morphologically, present clear discriminating sexual characteristics in the case the skeleton is not

complete. This would be the case of the coxa.

There are studies which allow sex determination by studying large bones or their fragments, measuring, for example, the major diameter of the head of the femur or the major diameter of the head of the humerus. Krogman (1).

With respect to the radius, there is little biography, Ubelaker (2) and Berrizbeitia (3), in their respective studies on American population, which affords reference values for sex determination by studying the diameter of the head of the radius. Reverte (4) has mentioned sex discriminating values for the head of the radius in Spanish population.

The aim of this study is to define the reference values in current Spanish population, which will lead us to sex determination in an individual by studying the diameter of the head of the radius and compare these results with those obtained by Ubelaker, Berrizbeitia and Reverte.